


I Don't Dance

by AllenVoorEef



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-09-07 07:43:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16849957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllenVoorEef/pseuds/AllenVoorEef
Summary: Ava Cousland thinks back on the parts of her court life she doesn't miss, and Alistair attempts to lighten the mood.





	I Don't Dance

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this to go with one of my daily drawings and it got a little out of hand! 
> 
> Note: English is not my native language, so forgive me for any clunky sentences.

The cheerful tunes of Lelianas lute filled the air as they sat by the fire, and in that moment it was dangerously easy to forget the threats they were constantly facing. Ava stared wistfully at the dexterous movement of the bard’s fingers, allowing the familiar music to take her back to Highever and the dances her parents had hosted. It all seemed so long ago now. 

She hadn’t realised she’d been smiling until Alistair glanced at her and asked: “What are you thinking about?”  
“Mmm. Dancing.”  
“Dancing! So can you dance?”  
She paused for a moment and scratched her mabari between the ears. “I… was taught a dance or two back at court.”  
“Right, court. Because you’re… a teyrns daughter.” He rubbed his face in frustration. “That was stupid of me to ask, I’m so sorry.”

Leliana switched to an upbeat tune and started singing in Orlesian. Her clear voice was quickly joined by Zevrans slightly cruder one, first humming the familiar melody, then taking up a verse in Antivan. Her mabari’s ears twitched in reaction to the sudden shift in sounds.  
“I hated it.” Ava said softly. She could feel Alistairs eyes on her but kept her own firmly on the singers. “I had no talent for it. I was awkward and clumsy and lacked the grace that was expected of me as a noblewoman. I never minded the politics, but the _dances_ … All I wanted to do was stand in the corner with the musicians and watch them play.”  
The memories of those nights tasted strange, as if they weren’t even hers. As if someone else had been living that part of her life, maybe still was. How long had it been since she last felt all those noble eyes on her on the dance floor, stumbling through the patterns with the sons of Arls, counting beats, counting steps, counting the seconds until she could become invisible again. 

She was suddenly pulled back into the present when Alistair stood up, turned towards her and extended his hand. He smiled that little pouty smile he had whenever he was up to something, and she felt her heart skip a beat, despite her wariness.  
“Oh no, Alistair, I really don’t-”  
“I’m _sorry?_ Did I just hear you turn down a dance with the actual Prince of Ferelden?” Alistair said, mockingly.  
“Hey, you can’t keep playing that card if you don’t intend to become King!” Ava laughed. “And also, you bet, because I just told you I hate dancing.”  
“Ah, but you see,” he said, raising his eyebrow in suspense, “you haven’t been taught the Official Royal Ways.” He made a fluttering hand gesture to emphasize.  
He held her gaze intently. While every muscle in her body felt like tensing up and curling into a ball, she also wanted to enjoy this rare evening of carelessness without the weight of those memories dragging her down. She wanted to let go, to only keep the fond memories of home. And Maker did she want to be close to Alistair. His amber eyes asked her the one silent question it all came down to. _‘Do you trust me?’_

He let out a small sigh of relief when she finally took his hand and allowed him to pull her up on her feet. Alistair placed his other hand on her back and held her close for a second.  
“Now during the dances at Redcliffe I, of course, wasn’t actually allowed into the main hall.” He lifted their joined hands slightly. “But from the storage room I could just about hear the music. And I imagined the dances to go somewhat like this.”  
He took a sudden step backward. Ava tripped over his feet and burst into laughter while Alistair took her other hand and started waving them around awkwardly.  
“Yes! Excellent!” he shouted, swaying her randomly from side to side, backward and forward, without minding the rhythm of the song. Ava let him ‘lead’ her in this ridiculous display, stumbling and stepping on each others toes, laughing all the while. She couldn’t have counted the beats if she’d tried.


End file.
